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The structure of organic semiconductor thin films influences their performance in optoelectronic devices. This Review highlights how solid-state NMR techniques can be used to investigate the structure, composition and dynamics of organic semiconductors and, thus, establish structure–property relationships.
Synthetic amorphous silica nanoparticles are produced in tonnage quantities for a range of commercial uses. In this Review, the synthesis–structure–property relationships of synthetic amorphous silica nanoparticles are outlined, with an emphasis on biomedical applications and environmental implications.
Advances in molecular-structure design and modulation of the aggregation behaviour have enabled much progress in the observation of room-temperature phosphorescence from organic aggregates. This Review analyses key photophysical processes related to triplet excitons, illustrating the intrinsic structure–property relationships and identifying strategies to design efficient and persistent room-temperature-phosphorescent systems.
Introducing multiplicity and variation into the components of metal–organic frameworks has emerged as new fascinating directions in reticular chemistry. In this Review, the variances in the framework backbone, functionality and metal, and their leading to sequences of chemical information, are highlighted. Anisotropy in these structures is imposed by the variance and realized along a specific direction.
Natural photosynthetic systems harvest light to perform selective chemistry on atmospheric molecules such as CO2. This Review discusses the implementation of bioinspired concepts in engineered light harvesting and catalysis.
The surface features of metal halide perovskites have a crucial role in determining their properties. This Review introduces the recent advances in the understanding of perovskite surfaces and surveys the surface strategies towards improving the properties of perovskite materials and the performance of perovskite optoelectronic devices.
The development of efficient, high-energy and high-power electrochemical energy-storage devices requires a systems-level holistic approach, rather than focusing on the electrode or electrolyte separately. In this Review, we discuss the interfacial reactions and ion transport in ionic-liquid-based Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors, and summarize their impact on device performance.
When single layers of 2D materials are stacked on top of one another with a small twist, the resulting moiré pattern introduces new electronic properties. This Review surveys and compares the modelling techniques used in this emerging field of twistronics.
Collagen subtypes contribute to the function of many tissues, but most studies on collagen focus on one or two subtypes only. This Review surveys the roles of collagen subtypes and crosslinks, their structure–function relationships and the possibility of using the resulting insight to engineer better neotissues.
Gradient nanostructured metals and alloys are an emerging class of materials that exhibit a combination of excellent mechanical properties that are not possessed by their homogeneous counterparts. This Review assesses the fabrication, characterization and deformation behaviour of these materials, as well as the challenges and future directions of the field.
Nonreciprocal acoustic and elastic wave propagation may enable the creation of devices such as acoustic one-way mirrors, isolators and topological insulators. This Review presents advances in the creation of materials that break reciprocity and realize robust, unidirectional acoustic and elastic wave steering.
In situ tissue regeneration harnesses the body’s regenerative potential for tissue repair using engineered biomaterials. In this Review, we outline various biomaterials approaches to control the body’s regenerative capacity for tissue-specific regeneration by modulating the extracellular microenvironment or driving cellular reprogramming.
Weyl fermions in solids exhibit unique features such as spin–momentum locking and a diverging Berry curvature corresponding to a magnetic monopole in momentum space. This Review surveys the transport phenomena, magnetic excitations and nonlinear optical effects observed in these systems.
Flat metasurface optics provides an emerging platform for combining semiconductor foundry methods of manufacturing and assembling with nanophotonics to produce high-end and multifunctional optical elements. This Review highlights the design of metasurfaces, recent advances in the field and initial promising applications.
Design of bone-tissue-engineering materials involves consideration of multiple, often conflicting, requirements. This Review discusses these considerations and highlights scalable technologies that can fabricate natural and synthetic biomaterials (polymers, bioceramics, metals and composites) into forms suitable for bone-tissue-engineering applications in human therapies and disease models.
Self-healable polymers are materials that recover after physical damage. In this Review, we discuss the physical and chemical approaches to make self-healing polymers, with a focus on similarities with biological systems.
Reducible oxides are tunable, multifunctional materials used in many applications, particularly in catalysis; their attractive properties arise from their interacting charge carriers, complex electronic structure and propensity to form mobile defects. This Review surveys theoretical methods to model and understand reducible oxides, using TiO2 as a prototypical example.
Matrigel is widely used for cell culture. However, its ill-defined composition, batch-to-batch variability and animal-derived nature lead to experimental uncertainty and a lack of reproducibility. In this Review, we discuss the limitations of Matrigel and highlight synthetic alternatives for stem-cell culture, regenerative medicine and organoid assembly.
The porous hierarchical structure and anisotropy of wood make it a strong candidate for the design of materials with various functions, including load bearing, multiscale mass transport, and optical and thermal management. In this Review, the composition, structure, characterization methods, modification strategies, properties and applications of natural and modified wood are discussed.
Electrochemical processes enable energy-efficient desalination of water and the separation and recovery of elements. In this Review, we discuss the mechanisms and materials of this emerging generation of water-remediation technology.
